Stevie's Secret
by pharaohwriter
Summary: Stevie receives the call she feared most and her family knows nothing about a secret she's been hiding from them. Will they figure it out before it's too late?
1. Goodbye Washington DC, Hello Frankfurt

The blaring of her phone bought her out of the daily morning chaos in the McCord household.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hi, is this Stephanie McCord?" a man asked.

"Yes this is she, may I ask who's calling?" she asks curiously.

"This is Doctor Russell, I called because you're an emergency contact for Brandon Wilkins," he says.

"Y-yes I am, is everything okay?" she stutters and decides to take the conversation to a secluded area where no one else can eavesdrop.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but he's been injured. We're rushing him to emergency surgery, but that's just to stop the bleeding and to hold off until you can come here and sign papers and give us consent to continue with further surgeries. When's the fastest you can get here?" he asks and she's thrown for a loop at how fast her world is spinning.

"I…I…can be there within two days I suppose. Please keep him alive," she rushes out.

"I'll do my best ma'am, safe travels," he says.

"Wait! Can I speak to him?" she asks before he can hang up.

"He's unconscious right now, but after surgery if he wakes before you get here, I will have him call you immediately," he reasons.

"Okay, thank you so much," she says softly as a tear streams down her face and presses the end button.

"Stevie!" she hears her father call. She brushes a tear off her face and schools her features before returning to the kitchen.

"Yeah dad," she replies as she steps in to see everyone eating.

"Is everything okay?" he asks taking in her tense form.

"Everything's perfect. I um have to get ready for work," she lies and rushes upstairs before anyone has a chance to say anything else. She locks her bedroom door and begins to pack a suitcase, not knowing how long she'd be over there.

"Bye sweetie!" she hears her mother yell from downstairs but she ignores it, her mind consumed with the thoughts of him. She clicks on her computer and purchases tickets to Germany that leaves in five hours. After he hears the rest of her family leave the house, she checks outside to make sure they're gone and hoping the security detail on her isn't here yet. She escapes by cab and is soon going through the metal detectors and security checks.

"Flight 590 Boarding to Germany," she hears the calling for her plane and passes along her boarding pass to the woman. She ends up stuck on an 8-hour flight next to a fat, balding man who snores louder than the wings of the plane cutting through turbulence. She finally landed in Frankfurt at 12:18 am the next day since their time zone was 5 hours ahead of what she was used to. She ordered a cab to take her immediately to the hospital, which turned into an hour and a half drive.

"Danke," she said to the driver and handed him the money with a nice tip.

"Hello, I'm Stephanie McCord, I'm here for Brandon Wilkins," she says to the receptionist dressed in Army ACUs.

"I'll be right with you, please take a seat," she replies and Stevie goes to sit in the waiting room. She hears her stomach rumble letting her know that she hadn't eaten all day, but she's determined to make sure he's alright before she takes a bit of anything.

"Stephanie McCord?" she hears the voice from the man she spoke to on the phone and stands to face a middle-aged man, around the same age as her dad with his similar build.

"Yes," she says and holds out her hand for him to shake.

"Nice to meet you, I just wish they were under better circumstances. Brandon seems to be in stable but critical condition since we last spoke. We stopped the internal bleeding and fixed up his leg…" the doctor rambles.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but what happened?" she asks.

"Well I don't know the specifics since it's mostly classified information, but he sustained a bullet to the head that we aren't able to remove just yet due to the swelling in his brain, there are clean breaks in his right tibia and fibula, he also was shot in the chest but the impact caused him to suffer internal bleeding which we were able to treat. We put him in a medically induced coma and also punctured holes in his skull to release some of the pressure," he says and I go to sit down as he follows. "I know this is a lot to take in".

"You think?" she says a little harshly. "I'm sorry, it's just, I can't believe this is happening".

"I understand," he says and goes silent, waiting for her to speak.

"So what do I need to sign?" she asks.

"Well once we have a better look at his CAT scans we'll be able to come up with a course of action, but it will be for brain surgery," he says and she lets out a deep sigh.

"Can I see him?" she asks timidly.

"Yes, I'll show you his room," he says and stands. She follows suit and drags her luggage to the elevator. He presses the fifth floor button, which she guesses is the ICU.

"Don't be intimidated by the tubes and machines, he can hear everything you say, or so I hear," he smiles and tries to comfort her. After he leaves, she lets out a big sob.

"It isn't suppose to be this way," she cries and walks to his beside and grabs his hand to caress her cheek. His hand seemed heavier than she last remembers and his beard had grown. Although he was more muscular, the image of him with machines surrounding him made him look small and vulnerable. She couldn't cry, she had to be his rock, his safety net; she has to be strong for him. The buzzing of her phone brings her out of her element and she looks at it to see twenty missed calls and five voice messages all from her parents of course. She walks out to the hallway to call her father back.

"Where the hell are you, and don't lie," he says in a voice he's only used once before on her.

"I'm in Germany," she replies back tiredly without a hint of fear.

"What the hell are you doing in Germany?" she hears her mother ask. "You can't just up and leave the country without talking to anyone and without your security detail, it's not safe".

"I know, I just have business to take care of here," she says.

"Business to take care of?" her father repeats confused.

"Are you in trouble? What business?" her mom asks.

"No I'm not in trouble," she says evading the second question.

"What business do you have in Germany young lady?" her father asks.

"A friend from high school needed my help. Listen I'm really tired and I have to go," she says and hangs up the phone, feeling bad for lying and not wanting to go into detail with their questions.

"Please get better fast Brandon, or else we'll both be dead," she says from the glass outside looking into his room.


	2. Even in my death, I'll follow you

"Beeeeeeeeeeeeep," was the constant blaring from the machines that woke Stevie out of her sleep. It wasn't the constant short beeps, but the long flat line that scared the life out of her.

"Help! I need help in here!" she yelled to the door hoping for nurses to rush in. "Please don't leave me, be strong, come on!" she yelled at Brandon while crushing his hand.

"Step out of the way ma'am," a woman with a German accent dressed in blue scrubs said from behind Stevie. She turned to see her holding paddles.

"Please save him," she said and moved away for them to perform CPR. Eventually they used the paddles.

"Charging at 200," the woman said and they all let out a breath when a strong heartbeat returned.

"Brandon!" Stevie said strongly hoping to wake him up.

"We have to take him for a CAT scan, but it seems like he's trying to wake up from the coma," another nurse explained.

"Is that a good thing?" Stevie asked hesitantly.

"It would be under different circumstances, but we need the swelling in his brain to decrease before the stress of him trying to wake up increases it," she says before she and the other nurses push his bed out of the room. She decides this reprieve will give her time to check into a hotel across the street.

"Hello, I was wondering if you have a room available," she asked.

"Yes, we have one, how long is your stay?" the receptionist asked.

"I have no idea, just put me down for a week," she replies tiredly.

"That will be $700," she says.

"Here put it on the card," Stevie replies handing the card over.

"I'm sorry but this says Brandon Wilkins," she says.

"We're related, I just have a different last name," she says and holds up her wedding band.

"I see, sorry for the confusion," the receptionist apologizes.

"No worries," she says.

"You're in room 303, the man will escort you to your room and carry your luggage," she says.

"Thank you, have a nice day," she says noting it's almost 10 am.

"You as well," and with that Stevie is escorted to the elevator. Soon she finds herself in a nice sized room with a bed that's been calling her name. She gives the man a $20 tip and flops onto the bed. Her eyes close so fast she barely has time to reach for a pillow. When she wakes, it comes from a knock on her door and it takes a while for it to register. Once she opens it, she wishes she could close it again. The person she wanted here least; her parents.

"Mom, dad, what are you guys doing here?" she asks.

"What are we doing here? What are you doing here?" her mom says and she rolls her eyes as they pass the threshold.

"I told you, I'm here to help a friend," she replies.

"Who's the friend? What do they need help with?" her dad asks, speaking for the first time after he observed every detail of the room.

"Don't lie either," her mother says as if she already knows the reason.

"His name is Brandon Wilkins, I'm his emergency contact and he's at Landstuhl Regional Hospital," she says and finally breaks down.

"Oh baby," her dad, always the protector wraps his arms around her and for the first time in the past three days, she feels safe.

"I just want him…" she's cut off by her phone and goes to retrieve it from the charger.

"Hello?" she asks.

"Ms. McCord?" the man asks.

"Yes this is she," she says.

"Mr. Wilkins is awake and is asking for you. The doctors still need you to sign the forms because he's not coherent enough," he explains.

"I'll be right over," she says and hangs up the phone.

"He's awake, I have to go," she says and makes a move towards the door, but feels an arm pulling her back. "You can't stop me," she says sharper than intended.

"I was going to say let's go together," her mother reasons and it makes her relax. 15 minutes later and they're walking into the hospital and it seems busier than when she first came in last night. They go towards his hospital room and he's still connected to machines, but instead of the ventilator to help him breath, he has the nasal cannula on.

"Hi beautiful," he says when he sees her walk in. His head still bandaged heavily.

"You're awake," she rushes to his side and brings him into a crushing hug.

"Ribs!" he croaks.

"Oh God sorry, sorry, I'm just so happy you're awake," she says and he reaches for her left hand and that's when her parents see the wedding band for the first time.

"Who is he Stevie?" her father asks.

"He's my husband," she cries as she wipes tears from her eyes.

"Don't they know who I am?" he asks quietly.

"I'm sorry I just never got around to it. I just never knew how to tell them," she reasoned.

"And what I'm just this secret you hid away," he says and she can sense him getting angry.

"Calm down, stress isn't good. You still have a bullet in your brain and I have to sign those damn papers," she reasons.

"You're husband?" her dad asks still in shock.

"Dad, I'll explain everything in a little while I just have to…" she says but the doctor she was looking for comes in with papers and a needle.

"Hello Ms. McCord, I have the papers for you to sign and this is a sedative for you to relax," he says.

"She's Mrs. Wilkins," Brandon grinds in between his teeth.

"I apologize for the confusion," the doctor apologizes.

"It's not you who should be sorry," he replies and fixes a cold stare at Stevie who opens her mouth but nothing comes out. "Save it, I risk my life for my country and my own wife won't even acknowledge me," he says and feels the drugs taking effect as he calms down.

"So Mrs. Wilkins, these are the forms you need to sign that will allow us to perform the surgery. Would you like me to explain the procedure?" he asks and she nods.

"Please let me escort you to my office," he says and my parents go to follow.

"I'm sorry, family only," he says.

"They're my parents," she replies and he nods. Once they're in his office, he shows the brain scan.

"This is where the bullet is lodged in his brain. I don't see signs that it's damaged his motor skills or anything but we can't be too sure until after surgery. We will enter through the left lobe and retrieve it," he says.

"How long is the surgery?" she asks.

"Five hours give or take two," he says.

"Please save him," she cries.

"I'll do my best ma'am," he says and hands her a pen. Her hand shakes as tears roll down her cheek onto the paper moistening it.

"What are the risks?" she asks and knows she shouldn't because the list is endless.

"There's always risks with surgery, but are you sure you want to know?" he asks and she nods her head, unsure herself.

"Well there's brain damage where he could lose control of his muscles and motor skills, he could be paralyzed, slip into a coma, he could die," he lists.

"Please stop, I shouldn't have asked," she says. "When can he return to his unit?" she asks.

"I can't be for sure until after surgery, but he has a long way to go with physical therapy and testing before he can return," the doctor says.

"Thank you," she sighs and begins to sign the papers.

"We'll prep the OR for tonight. Go sit by him and speak to him, it's always better when they know they have something great to return to," he encourages before filing the documents and shaking hands. She feels her parents' hands on her back guiding her inside the room to see his sleeping form. She sits by his bed and pulls his hand into hers.

"Baby," she whispers but receives no response. "Please wake up".

"I'm awake," he sighs as his eyes flutter open. "This is nice".

"What is?" she asks.

"You'll be the last person I see before I die, and that makes it the sweetest death ever," he says and laughs.

"Shut up! You're not dying," she hits his arm lightly and laughs at the joke.

"Mom, dad, I want you to meet Brandon, he's my husband," she says and ushers them to the opposite side of the bed.

"Nice to meet you sir," Brandon says a little loopy to Henry, "and you too Madam Secretary".

"No formalities, you're family," Liz smiles down at him.

"Even in my death, I'll follow you," he says looking seriously at Stevie quoting their favorite song.

"I love you so much," she cries into his shoulder and he puts his hand on her head.

"I love you too, but you have to be strong. You're my rock, my home to come to. You're my warrior princess who bakes me cookies before I deploy, and most important, you're a Wilkins. No fear," he says and she nods her head in his shoulder.

"Don't leave me," she says.

"I'm always here," he says pointing to her heart. "No fear babe," he says before he goes into a coughing fit where he spits up blood and she cries harder. After it dies down he says, "I've had worse. But promise me; promise me to stay strong no matter what happens. Promise me!" he says strongly.

"I promise," she says and the tears stop.

"We're here to take you to surgery," the nurse says and Stevie blows him a kiss that he captures and puts near his heart.


	3. Hi Amelia

Time, time was definitely not on her side now that it seemed like everything was moving in slow motion. Her foot felt like it tapped the floor a hundred times before a second would pass.

"Sweetie, calm down, he's in good hands," Henry says.

"How do you know?" she asks.

"Because I was many years ago," he reasons.

"You were in the hospital? For what?" she asked.

"Gun shot wounds," he replies. "This is one of the best hospitals in Europe," he reassures her. "Tell me how you met him," he suggests getting her mind off things.

"I was 18 and at my first college party," she says laughing at the memory.

_"Amanda, I'm not drinking tonight," Stevie sternly tells her future roommate. They were at Admitted Students Weekend. _

_ "Don't be such a buzz kill Steph," she replied and Stevie tried to stop her eyes from rolling at that annoying nickname._

_ "It's Stevie and I won't be," she says sternly._

_ "That's a guys name," her roommate replies and goes back to applying her make up. Thirty minutes later they were walking to a frat house where people were already scattered on the lawn. As soon as they entered the house Amanda was approached by the guy that invited her and was whisked away, leaving Stevie to fend for herself in uncharted territory. _

_ "You must be new," she hears from behind her and sees what appears to be a frat guy half drunk._

_ "Yeah I'm a freshman," she replies as the lie her and her roommate practiced._

_ "Nice to meet you, I'm Matt," he says with a sly smile. "Can I get you a drink?" he asks._

_ "No I'm good," she says._

_ "Hey relax, here take mine," he says and pushes a drink into her hands. _

_ "Actually I have to go to the bathroom," she says and rushes in the opposite direction. When she's halfway to on her way to the kitchen she bumps into something solid and spills the drink all over._

_ "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she apologizes while looking for napkins to clean the shirt._

_ "It's okay," the guy smirks still staring intently at her. _

_ "Let's go to the kitchen so I can clean it," she says still refusing to meet his eyes and drags him to the kitchen, which is almost empty save for a few people. Once she grabs the paper towels she wets them a little and pat them on his chest that are rock solid. _

_ "I really don't know what I was thinking. I can pay for dry cleaning," she apologizes again._

_ "Honestly it's okay, it's not everyday a beautiful woman throws her drink on me for attention," he jokes and she meets his intense gaze. His hair was a thick brown and he held a 5 o'clock shadow beard. But his eyes drew her in; they were so warm and guarded at the same time. It was endless and they held a stare for what felt like hours until someone cleared their throat, the guy from earlier looking pretty angry. _

_ "Hey where'd you go?" he asked smugly placing his arm around her and she shifted uncomfortably._

_ "I met up with my boyfriend," she says and sends him a look to play along._

_ "This is your boyfriend?' he asks shifting a little but not removing his arm._

_ "Yes, is this a new friend of yours?" the guy asks. _

_ "Uh, no we just met," she replies. _

_ "Well nice to meet you…" he leaves it off for the guy to finish._

_ "Matt, Matt O'Connor," he replies. "Well I should probably go," he says and rushes out of the room._

_ "Thank you," she lets out a sigh and chuckle._

_ "No problem, but I should probably get the name of my fake girlfriend," he says._

_ "Stevie…I mean Stephanie," she stutters._

_ "Which is it?" he asks._

_ "It's Stephanie, but I prefer Stevie," she says._

_ "Then Stevie it is, I'm Brandon Wilkins," he says and holds out his hand for her to shake._

_ "Well thank you Brandon for saving me," she says and they both laugh. _

_ "All my pleasure, he seemed like an ass," he smiles and it melts her._

_ "I got that vibe too. I'm not a big party person, my future roommate dragged me here," she says. _

_ "My friend dragged me here too as a going away present," he says. _

_ "Oh really? Where are you going?" she asks._

_ "BUDs," he says but she gives him a confused look. "Navy Seals training in San Diego. I just got out of OCS and pre-BUDs training"._

_ "Oh so you're a military man," she smiles._

_ "Yes," he says._

_ "So did you enlist?" she asks._

_ "No I finished my degree here early at 20 and decided OCS over ROTC since I really wanted to focus on school," he says._

_ "What's your major?" she asks._

_ "English," he replies._

_ "Never figured you for a Shakespeare man," she says._

_ "I'm not," he chuckles. "I'm more of a creative writer, but they don't offer it as a major, but I do enjoy Poe and Fitzgerald and Brontë"._

_ "Impressive," she muses._

_ "What's your major?" he asks._

_ "Undecided. I'm in high school here on admitted students day," she says._

_ "Oh now I feel like a creep for thinking you were beautiful," he says awkwardly turning a shade of red. _

"_Don't I'm 18 and technically only a month away from graduation," she smiles._

"_Well that's good to know," he stares at her. "You want to get out of here? I know of a great place," he asks._

_ "Yeah as long as it's not your dorm room," she jokes._

_ "I'm crushed, my dorm room was spotless and filled with books," he feigns offense. He takes her to a 24-hour café just off campus. _

_ "This place is nice," she takes in the dimly lit atmosphere and sees a few patrons._

_ "Yeah this is where I did most of my writing," he says with a hint of nostalgia. _

_ "So why do you want to be a Navy SEAL officer?" she asks._

_ "I always loved the military life. I grew up as an army brat, but the SEALs are the greatest fighting force and if I can make it through training to join one of the elite and protect my country, then there's nothing greater that I was put on this earth for," he says strongly._

_ "My dad was in the Marines before I was born," she says._

_ "Oh really? What was his rank?" he asks._

_ "He separated as a Captain," she says with a smile._

_ "So tell me more about you Stevie," he says and they sat in the café until the sun came up._

"How romantic," her mother says bringing her out of her flashback.

"Yeah, it was. He was the first guy to be interested in me and my thoughts not my looks or who my parents were. He was the first man I met unlike all of those high school boys," she says smiling through her glassy eyes.

"He sounds like a great guy, I can't wait to meet him," her dad said while hugging her closer and her growling stomach interrupts their thoughts.

"You need to eat," her dad says.

"I can't," she argues.

"You get like this every time you're nervous you won't eat, but you need to stay healthy and strong for him," he guilts her into eating.

"Okay," she sighs and they all stand to go to the cafeteria where she orders a sandwich and only takes a few bites. She pulls out her phone to check the time and sees that it's only been an hour and a half. "Why is time moving so slowly?" she asks rhetorically.

"Because you want it to move fast. You need to distract yourself. How about we go site seeing or something," her mom suggests and Stevie looks at her like she's grown three heads.

"I can't leave. I won't leave him," she says. "I just need to be alone for a little while," she stands from the table and sees them nod. She finds herself walking around the hospital not really knowing where she's going. She finds herself outside the maternity unit and she's dragged into another flashback.

_"I quit school," she says over the phone._

_ "You what?" he asks loudly._

_ "Calm down, I just didn't want to deal with everyone looking and talking behind my back now that my mom is the new Secretary of State. I just needed time off," she reasons._

_ "That's not in the plans babe," he says and she rolls her eyes at how much he hates change especially when he's so far away or so she assumes._

_ "I know, but I need time," she says vaguely._

_ "Time for what?" he asks._

_ "To get my life together I guess," she says._

_ "You're not cheating on me right?" he asks hesitantly, afraid of the answer._

_ "Of course not!" she yells. "That's crazy!"_

_ "I just. I'm scared that things won't be the same when I get back," he explains. _

_ "I understand. I'm just taking a few months off to collect my thoughts and then I'll go back to school," she says._

_ "Okay," he says still unsure. "Is everything alright?"_

_ "Yeah, everything is fine," she says and he knows she's hiding something._

_ "Please don't shut me out or lie. I'm far away and I hate not knowing what's going on or how to help you," he says._

_ "I just don't want you to be worried about anything that's going on over here when you need to be focused on the mission. That type of distraction could get you killed," she said. _

_ "I don't care, I know how to compartmentalize. You're my wife and I deserve to know what's going on and be given the chance to fix it," he says._

_ "You can't fix everything Brandon!" she yells unexpectedly. "I'm sorry, it's just I really don't want to do this over the phone"._

_ "It's okay, just take your time," he says patiently._

_ "I lost the baby," she lets out a sob._

_ "What? What baby?" he choked out._

_ "Ours. I found out I was pregnant a few weeks after you left and I just didn't know how to tell you. I…I um, I miscarried," she cried out the last part._

_ "Ohhh baby, I wish I could be there right now," he says._

_ "I wish you were here too to wrap me in your arms and tell me everything is going to be okay," she cries harder._

_ "You're the strongest person I know and we'll get through this. I know the baby wasn't planned, but it doesn't mean she was unwanted. You would've been a great mother and you will be one day," he says. _

_ "She?" Stevie asks._

_ "I have a feeling," he says trying to lighten the mood._

_ "I just miss her, and she wasn't even here," she says._

_ "Yes she was. She was alive inside of you and it's natural to miss her because you carried her. You'll be a mother again someday and the baby will be planned and I'll be there to go out for late night craving runs and to give you foot massages and your personal punching bag," he jokes and it elicits a chuckle from her. "There's my girl"._

_ "I miss you," she says._

_ "Miss you too babe," he says._

_ "We have to go," she hears another man yell to him. _

_ "I see you have to go," she sighs._

_ "Yeah I have to brief a few people, but I love you and never forget that. I'll see you soon," he says._

_ "I love you too, bye," she says and hears the line go. _

When she's bought back to the present she's staring through the glass at the little babies wrapped in pink and blue.

"Would you like to hold one?" a woman asks.

"Aren't there strict guidelines?" she asks.

"There's no safer place, besides if someone wanted to steal a baby, I doubt a military hospital would be their best choice," the woman reasons and they both chuckle.

"I suppose that makes sense," she says and they walk into the room and Stevie makes eye contact with a little girl with green eyes that looks similar to Brandon's. "Can I hold her?"

"Yes of course," the woman hands her scrubs to put on and points her to the sink to wash her hands. After two minutes, she's being handed the bundle of joy.

"What's her name?" Stevie asks.

"Amelia," the nurse smiles.

"Hi Amelia," Stevie coos as she gently pats the baby on her back.


	4. Coming Home

After spending a couple hours in the maternity ward, Stevie finds herself outside the waiting room where her parents are still sitting. She opens the doors and sees them look up at her and send her a small smile.

"Sorry, I just had to get out of here," she explains and they nod before everything relaxes into silence.

"Family of Brandon Wilkins," a nurse asks opening the door and pulls off her mask.

"Yes I'm his wife," Stevie answers standing before the nurse with her parents behind her. "How was the surgery?"

"The surgery was successful, he's being transferred to the recovery unit, the surgeon will come by and explain all the details," she says guiding them to the recovery wing of the hospital. From the outside Stevie sees his head heavily bandaged and bald, he's asleep but hooked up to tons of machines. She rushes to his side and squeezes his hand hoping he'd squeeze back.

"Brandon," she whispers with unshed tears in her eyes.

"He won't be waking up anytime soon, he's on some pretty strong sedatives," a nurse remarks sympathetically while recording data from the machines before leaving.

"Brandon, I'm here, please don't leave me," she says. "I told you I'd be strong for you and I'm right here now open your damn eyes," she encourages but the only movement is the ventilator moving his broad chest up and down. She's awoken by the increase in heartbeats on the machine and looks up to see Brandon awake and not coherent. He's trying to remove the tube from his throat but Stevie stops him in time. "Hey I need help in here!" she yells and that wakes up her parents who are suddenly on high alert. "Babe calm down, your in the hospital, your safe," she says to him but he's in a trance-like state because he's looking past her and his breathing has become more erratic. He rips out his IV and all the machines connected to him. He tries to get up but Stevie recognized that this was a panic attack. He'd often had them after returning home from a deployment. "Baby calm down, look in my eyes, its me Stevie, your wife," she says softly. He almost calmed down until he saw movement out of his left eye and he jumped out of bed pushing Stevie behind him.

"Stay back," he whispers to her now in a full-blown flashback.

"Brandon it's just the doctor," she touches his back and he jumps at the feeling of her soft hands and he snaps out of it. Turning around and she places her hand on his face, feeling his stubble. He melts at the contact and suddenly realizes his weakness as his adrenaline has worn out and he starts to look faint. Henry steps in the help him back on the bed.

"What was it about?" Stevie asks him.

"Can't talk about it," he replies back weakly and holds his head in his hands at the pain. "It hurts," he says and she presses the button for a nurse to come here since yelling didn't work.

"Just try to relax, take deep breaths," she instructs while pulling his hands away from his face. A nurse walks in with a needle and sticks it into his IV and after fifteen minutes, the muscles in his face starts to relax. "Better?" she asks and he nods. "Did you have a panic attack?" she asks hesitantly.

"Yeah," he sniffs and wipes under his nose. "Haven't had one of those since…"

"Since you came back from your first deployment. Babe, you have to talk to someone about this," she says but is cut off by him shaking his head viciously. "All right don't worry about it now, just get some rest," she grabs his hand and sleep begins to take over.

"You're good with him," Liz smiles at Stevie warmly.

"Yeah, he doesn't make it easy," Stevie replies to ease the tension and everyone chuckles.

"I didn't realize it until this moment that you're not my little girl anymore, you're all grown up," Henry says and his voice cracks towards the end.

"I'll always be your little girl," she smiles at him and he can't help but do the same. "Why don't you guys go back to the room and sleep, I'm going to stay here," they tried to protest but she gave them that determined look that she mastered since she turn seven. The morning light and tugging at her hand wakes up Stevie the next day and she wipes the sleep out of her eyes before they're staring back into those green expressive eyes that she got lost in not too long ago.

"Morning beautiful," he says sweetly.

"Morning baby," she leans forward to peck him on the lips. "How are you feeling?" she asks.

"Like I got a bullet removed from my brain," he replies sarcastically.

"So good then," she feigns ignorance.

"When can I bust out of this joint?" he asks and at that moment Dr. Russell walks in.

"In a day or two. We're going to keep taking scans to make sure you're healing properly, but you should be ready to go back to the states," he remarks. "You'll have to get in touch with your base commander and set up physical therapy appointments and see a doctor regularly," he explains. The two days passed by quickly and Stevie found herself, her parents and Brandon being escorted to her mom's private jet. He wore his Navy NWUs and his hat to cover up the staples on his baldhead. Once inside the jet he placed the crutches beside him and took off his cap.

"I so can't wait for my hair to grow back," he says inspecting the staples.

"Well those will be removed in seven days, so hopefully you'll have a little something going on," Stevie smiles at him.

"You still love me right?" he asks.

"Yes I love you and your egg head," she rubs around the staples and lightly massages and he moans in approval.

"That feels so good. God I've missed you and your hands, and your smile, and your soft skin," he comments taking her hand in his. He leans across the table to kiss her on a cheek and they're snapped out of their bubble by the flashing of a camera.

"You guys are so cute," Liz smiles with tears in her eyes.

"So tell us more about yourself Brandon," Henry says.

"What do you want to know?" he asks.

"Stevie mentioned your dad is in the Army, how does he feel about your trading up and joining the Navy?" he smiles.

"Um, my dad died when I was 15, but I'm sure he turned over in his grave before smiling brightly for me being a SEAL," he clears his throat.

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that," Henry apologizes. "What about your mom?" he asks hoping to brighten the topic.

"My mom died when I was born," he says and suddenly the plane couldn't feel smaller.

"So when did you two get married?" Liz asks.

"Before winter break of her freshman year, I had just gotten back from completing my BUD/S training and I proposed. We'd been talking almost everyday and mailing each other since we met and I knew she was the one," he answered.

"So what is it that you do for the Navy SEALs?" my mom asks. "I mean its not like I can't find out I just want to hear it from you," she informs and everyone can see Stevie visibly tense and he squeezes her hand.

"Uh, I'd rather not say. I haven't told Stevie because she doesn't want to know and I want to respect her wishes," he says.

"Actually its okay, I already know you're a sniper," she says and he looks toward her with a frown. "I found out when I went over your military documents and stuff," she says and he nods.

"I'm glad you know," he gazes at her strongly.

"So do you plan on staying in the military for 20+ years?" Henry asks.

"No I don't think so, I think I'm going to get out when we're ready to start a family or when she's tired of me leaving every six months," he jokes.

"I'm too young to be a grandma," Liz jokingly states.

"So you're enrolling in school this semester right?" he asks Stevie.

"Um, I thought I could take off another one and take care of you," she says and he shakes his head.

"No, we need to get back into a schedule, we're going to enroll you back in school so you can finish sooner rather than later," he says and she rolls her eyes at his need for normalcy and a schedule.

"Sir yes sir," she salutes him sarcastically.

"I'm glad you realize it's not up for debate," he smiles to himself.

"Oh you thought you were going to get off easy?" she chuckles and he looks a bit nervous. "Well if I'm going back to school, then you're going to have to get off your lazy ass and cook and clean and redecorate the apartment to the way I want it," she smirks back happily.

"Clean eh, redecorate not so much, I'll move furniture around, but I will definitely not be cooking, I'd actually like to be alive to return to my unit," he says.

"What apartment?" Liz questions.

"Well remember when I went to stay with a friend?" Stevie asks and both her parents nod. "Well I had Brandon send me money so I could rent an apartment in the city, and we kept it".

"I would've bought a house, but I think I'm going to be stationed in California in a few years so it'd be a waste since we don't know where we want to live after I'm finished," he explains.

"Alison is going to freak that you never told her about your wedding," Liz states off topic.

"Who says Alison didn't know?" Stevie counters leaving both of her parents in shock and their mouths open.


	5. I Can, and I Just Did

"Oh my God Brandon!" Alison jumped and ran towards the family as they entered the house.

"Is that you princess? You've gotten so big and it's only been a year," he smiles as she brings him into a tight hug. A few seconds later and he grunts.

"What happened to you? Why are you on crutches? Why are you bald?" she fires questions.

"Slow down Ali," Stevie says and motions for him to sit on the couch in the living room. He lets out a groan as he tries to get comfortable while Stevie pulls up a table for him to elevate his leg on.

"Thanks babe," he lets out a breath as she searches through her purse to find his meds.

"Here it's time to take these," she hands him four pills all of different sizes and colors.

"On an empty stomach?" he asks.

"Oh shoot no! Uh let me whip up something for you. What do you want?" she asks and her parents share a look for her lack of cooking skills.

"My favorite," he smiles before placing a kiss on her hand. She skimpers off to the kitchen and leaves Alison to interrogate him.

"Brandon, are you gonna tell me what happened?" she asks adamantly.

"Where's Jason?" he changes topics.

"At practice, now stop changing topics," she says.

"So he did try out for baseball, what position?" he asks.

"Uh I think he's catcher like you were," Alison says trying to remember.

"Nice," he smiles genuinely.

"You're not going to tell me what happened are you?" she asks and he shakes his head.

"Sweetie, why don't you give Brandon a chance to rest," Liz said while placing her hands on Alison's shoulders and guiding her away from the living room.

"How are you feeling?" Henry speaks for the first time.

"Like I've been shot," Brandon says through closed eyes and a crooked smile.

"I meant mentally," Henry clarifies and now Brandon's eyes are wide open.

"Oh uh I'm good sir," he said, changing his attitude.

"No need to pretend with me. I know what it's like to see war and the changes once you come home," Henry reassures him.

"I'm good sir," Brandon reaffirms and Henry nods before leaving him in peace. He sits there staring, but not really knowing what he's staring at.

"Here you go baby," Stevie says as she brings in a warm plate of meat loaf, mashed potatoes and carrots.

"You have no idea how much I've missed your meatloaf," he says and smiles at the familiar smells of his wife's cooking. "You have no idea how much I've missed you," he says after his first bite.

"I think I have a tiny hint," she smiles and sits down comfortably next to him, leaning against the arm of the couch so she can watch him. She's noticed how much bulkier he's gotten, and how tan his skin is now. Potatoes are getting stuck in his beard. "Slow down," she says gently. He's always had to correct his eating habits during his adjustment periods. After he's finished she brings him a cup of water to help with the meds.

"Can we go back to our place?" he asks.

"Yes, let me just clean up the mess in the kitchen first," she says. It takes her 15 minutes and she goes back to the living room to find him asleep. "Brandon, wake up," she gently nudges but he's on high alert. "Hey baby, it's time to go home," she soothes and he relaxes. As they were leaving, the door opened to reveal Jason.

"Jaaaasonnnnn! How's my man?" Brandon asks while he stands on crutches in front of him.

"Wha-Brandon? What are you doing here? What happened?" Jason asks in shock, but goes in for a long hug.

"It's good to see you too buddy. Congrats on the catcher position. When I bust these crutches, we'll go to the park sometime," Brandon smiles.

"Hey Jason, we were on our way out, but we'll be back sometime later this week," Stevie says and Jason is still in shock that he's seen Brandon again. It takes them an hour in traffic to get to their apartment and by that time they're both ready for sleep.

The next morning Stevie woke up to cold sheets and she knew that Brandon had been out of bed for at least an hour. She walked out of the room into the living room to see the furniture moved around and he was now in a chair facing the windows, just looking at the golden haze through the curtains.

"Brandon?" she called to him, but got no response. "Brandon?" she kept calling until she finally stood in front of him and noticed that he wasn't all there. He was probably trapped in a flashback or memory. "Babe," she said and touched his arm which caused him to hold her wrist in a vise like grip. It hurt but she'd never tell him. "Sweetie, it's me Stevie," she says now shaking him and he holds on for a few seconds before looking up at her and coming to realization at what was happening and released her wrist like it'd burned him.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Uh I was going to ask you the same thing. I woke up and found you out here," she says as he starts looking around with a frown. "You moved the furniture".

"I don't even remember doing that," he scratches his head.

"Well I'm going to take a shower," she says and he smiles. In her shower, she allows herself to breakdown for the first time. She curls into a ball and hopes that the water eliminates the sounds resounding from her chest. She doesn't know how long she's been in there until cold water beats on her fair skin. She walks into the bedroom to see him sitting on the bed. She clutches onto her towel a bit tighter although in her head she's screaming, _he's your husband!_ She slips on panties and a bra miraculously with the towel still wrapped around her and she hears him chuckle.

"What?" she asks.

"You know I've seen you naked before," he says.

"I know...it's just been...a long time," she reasons.

"It's okay, I get it, it's happened with a couple of my buddies' wives when they returned home from deployment," he says.

"So you guys do gossip about us," she smiles and straddles his lap.

"I wouldn't call it gossip, but yes we do talk about our significant others," he says.

"And what do you say about me?" she arches a brow.

"That you have the best ass cheeks that could ever fit into a guy's hands," he says and earns a pinch and he chuckles. "Ouch! Haha, no but seriously, I say I have the most geniuine, smartest, sexiest, nerd for a wife and I couldn't be any happier".

"Shut up! You're just trying to get laid," she looks towards the ceiling while letting out a giggle and he takes the opportunity to pepper kisses along her neck.

"So what if I am," he says before resuming his activities.

"We can't, you've just had major surgery and I don't want to put any stress on your body," she reasons.

"Sex *kiss* relieves *kiss* stress *kiss*," he says in between kisses.

"Not until it's cleared by your doctor and physical therapist," she says firmly and removes herself from his lap. He groans loudly.

"You can't just do that to a guy. Sit on his lap in bra and panties, knowing he hasn't had sex in over a year," he whines.

"I can and I just did," she smiles and puts on yoga pants and a tank top. "Now it's time for your shower".


End file.
